


Bless the Broken Road

by Diary



Category: Glee
Genre: Alternate Universe - Different First Meeting, Alternate Universe - Pre-Canon, Awkward Conversations, Bechdel Test Fail, Canon Gay Character, F/M, Family, Friendship/Love, Hudson-Hummel Family, Kid Finn Hudson, Kid Kurt Hummel, Late Night Conversations, POV Carole Hudson-Hummel, POV Female Character, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-28
Updated: 2016-03-28
Packaged: 2018-05-29 16:12:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,840
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6383467
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Diary/pseuds/Diary
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Repost. Carole and Burt meet earlier than they did in canon. Complete.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Bless the Broken Road

**Author's Note:**

> I do not own Glee.

Carole can’t handle this.

“Please,” she moans. Pressing her forehead against the steering wheel, she begs, “Please. Any other day but today. Please, please, please.”

Sighing, she thinks about her son.

School’s only twenty miles away; she’ll still miss it, and she could end up hospitalised. Hopefully, she thinks as she gets out of the car, Finn won’t hate me.

He’s only eight and too young to understand sometimes the thought has to count because it’s the only thing there is.

The flat tire mocks her.

Not one prone to homicidal musings, Carole nevertheless thinks of the ways she can painfully kill the mechanic she paid two hundred dollars she had to borrow from various co-workers to get her car inspected. While she’s at it, her bastard ex-boyfriend deserves slow, painful torture for never returning the spare tire she loaned him.

She has no idea how to change a tire, but if she had a spare, she could probably flag someone down who could.

She strips off her pantyhose and debates whether she should try walking as far as she can in her heels, and then, switching to her bare feet or if she should try walking barefoot for as far as she can, and then, try to walk in the heels.

Or I could just accept that I haven’t been slim since I was ten years old and stop pretending that these horrible shoes help bring in extra tips and go back to my boots and vests, she mentally scolds herself.

Putting the hose in the car and deciding to just leave her purse and lock it, she starts walking.

Twelve steps in, she realises why this is a bad idea.

The heel on her left shoe hits a rock, causes a sharp pain in her ankle, and she lands painfully on the road.

For a brief moment, she sits on the hot, deserted road with pain coursing through her body and scrapes her hands and bottom. 

She closes her eyes against tears.

I have Finn, she thinks. I have my baby boy, and I have faith that things will eventually get better. Now, come on. You’ve walked on a sprained ankle before. Just take a deep breath, ignore the pain, and get up.

Slowly, she does. “That’s it,” she mutters. “Take one step.”

One step turns into six, and she exhales.

Before she can take another, a voice startles her.

“Excuse me, ma’am,” a man’s voice says. “Are you alright?”

Carefully, she turns.

There’s a white man standing a few feet away. He’s about her age, pudgy, and almost completely bald.  In his car, a little girl wearing a bonnet looks curiously at her through the rolled up window in the backseat. “Ma’am?”

Sighing, she feels her face heat up in embarrassment, and the tears fall despite her best efforts. “I have a flat tire with no spare, and I’m late for my son’s baseball try-out,” she explains.

He gives her a sympathetic look and glances back at her car. “I don’t have a spare that’ll fit yours, but I’d be happy to take you to your boy’s try-out. I can call the shop and have it towed in for you,” he offers. With a concerned look at her ankle, he asks, “Do you have someone you can call to take you to the hospital?”

Carole doesn’t have the money to get her car fixed, let alone towed. She can’t afford a hospital bill. It’s an extremely bad idea to get in a car with an unknown man.

“I’m not worried about getting it fixed, and my ankle looks worse than it is,” she lies. “If you could just take me to the elementary school, I’d be very grateful.”

He looks sceptical but nods. “Would you like to ride in the back? Do you need help?”

“No, that’s fine.” She tries to take a step.

She’s not sure whether it’s lucky or not, but he’s fast enough to move over to catch her. “Here.” He takes a firm hold of her arm and settles the other on the small of her back. “Put your weight on me,” he says.

“Thank you,” she murmurs. His aftershave is soothing, and some part of her is happy to have another human’s touch. Finn is at a stage where he doesn’t like hugs and kisses, and Carole doesn’t have any friends she’s close enough to casually touch.

“I’m Burt Hummel.” He helps her lean against the car. Opening the backseat door, he says, “And this is my son, Kurt.”

There’s a brief look while he studies her reaction.

“Oh,” Carole says.

Mr Hummel helps the little boy out. He’s tiny with a delicate face, but she realises, besides the bonnet, he has all the markings of a boy. His hair is short, and he’s wearing a pair of jeans and over-sized faded t-shirt with several streaks of paint on it. “It’s nice to meet you both. I’m Carole Hudson.”

Kurt gives her a small wave but says nothing. His father helps him into the front seat, but when Mr Hummel tries to do the seatbelt, Kurt firmly declares, “I can do it, Dad.”

Sighing, Mr Hummel nods and says, “Okay, buddy.”

Carole gives him a sympathetic look. She’s learning how hard it is to have her son beginning to develop his independent streak, too. As proud she is and as much as she realises it’s a good thing, some part of her still feels pain at Finn getting to a point where he needs her less and less.

Mr Hummel helps her ease into the car

“Thank you,” she says.

Nodding, he shuts the door and goes to get in the driver’s side.

“What grade is your son?”

She tells him. “His name is Finn.”

“Same as Kurt,” he says. “Do you know a Finn Hudson, buddy?”

“He was in my class a few years ago,” Kurt answers. “I’ve never talked to him.” He peers back at Carole.

Smiling, she says, “That’s an adorable bonnet.”

Kurt gives her a shy smile. “Dad got it for me when I was six.”

“Smart move,” she comments. “I got Finn a soccer ball. And then, I got the neighbours a brand-new window.”

Kurt giggles, and she sees Mr Hummel smile in amusement in the mirror. “I don’t like sports that much,” he says.

“My boy’s a hell of a singer, though.”

“I sound like a girl,” Kurt says with a sudden frown.

Mr Hummel sighs. “C’mon, kiddo. We’ve talked about this.”

“Mommy’s not here,” Kurt mutters, and it’s almost too quietly for Carole to hear.

There’s a ragged sigh, and Carole automatically reaches up to softly touch his shoulder. The sound is all too familiar to those who are still living through the pain. “A little over a year,” he quietly tells her. “I should probably know the exact number, but some days, it was pure autopilot.”

“Six years.” She squeezes the shoulder.

She can’t judge; some days, she has to stop and think to remember the day she was told.

After the moment’s past, Burt says to Kurt, “I believe that your mama is still out there, watching over us. And you singing always made her smile. It doesn’t matter what the other kids say, Kurt.”

They arrive at the school, and she tells him where to drop her off. “No,” he says. “Kurt and I are inviting ourselves to the try-outs. Let me come around.”

“Really, that’s not necessary,” she starts to protest.

After he’s gotten Kurt out, he helps her out. “Here.”

The ground is thankfully cool against her feet.

“Lean your weight on me.”

“Thank you for this.”

She wonders why she feels like crying now. She’s safely at the school, and she’s not going to miss Finn’s try-out.

When she thinks about it, no one besides Finn has shown her such unprompted kindness in a long time. She’s gone longer without it than she has touch.

In the stands, he helps her sit down. The kids aren’t out on the field, yet, she gratefully notices.

“I’ll go call the shop,” he says. “Kurt, you gonna be okay?”

“That’s not-”

“Yeah. Can I play with Mrs Hudson’s hair,” Kurt asks.

“Uh-” Burt pauses and looks between the two.

“Sure, baby,” Carole says. She picks him up. “I don’t have anything, but-”

Burt walks away, and Kurt proudly withdraws a comb, scrunchie, and several ribbons from his pockets.

When Burt gets back, Kurt has got her hair up in a loose bun. She imagines it looks ridiculous, but it’s extremely comfortable. The air on her exposed neck feels wonderful, and unlike when she tries doing a bun, there’s no extra-pressure against her head. “I may have to hire this one instead of going to Super Cuts,” she jokes.

Kurt frowns before crawling off her lap and sitting between them. “Thank you, Mrs Hudson.”

“You can call me Carole,” she says. “And you’re welcome.”

“Your car’ll be towed pretty soon, but it’ll be some time tomorrow until it can be fixed.”

“That’s fine,” Carole says. She tries to figure out how much tighter this is going to make the already insanely tight budget. “I really appreciate this.”

“Are you and your boy going to be able to get home safely? What about getting your ankle looked at?”

“Yes,” she assures him. “Finn’s friend, Puck- His mother will give us a ride. My ankle will be fine after I put some ice on it and get a good night’s sleep.”

“Some ice would be a good idea,” he agrees. “I’m going to go get a hotdog. What can I get you two?”

“Blue ice-cream,” Kurt pipes up. “And diet soda, please.”

Burt simply looks at him for a second, and then, ruffles his hair. Kurt huffs and fixes his bangs. “You’re something else, kid.”

“Nothing for me,” Carole says.

She’s seen enough by now to realise bringing up her lack of money of the moment will probably just make him more determined to get her something.

Kurt turns and studies her with a frown. “Are you on a diet?”

“Kurt!”

“No, sweetie,” she answers in amusement.

“Because you’re pretty,” Kurt continues, “and girls shouldn’t listen to people who say they shouldn’t eat just to be pretty.”

“I’ll have a small Pepsi,” she says.

Looking relieved, Burt nods in thanks.

“And now, introducing…”

She and Kurt both turn towards the field. The little boys walk out onto the field, and she spots Finn. He sees her and waves with a happy grin on his face. She waves back and wishes she was down there to hug him and see his beautiful brown eyes up close.

0

Burt gets back when there are three people left before it’s Finn’s turn.

Carole automatically feels guilty when she sees him carefully manoeuvring with his hands full. “Here.” She starts to stand when an involuntarily gasp escapes at the sudden pressure on her ankle.

Kurt tugs on her and orders, “Down.”  He stands up on the bench and helps Burt.

“Thank you,” she says. Gingerly, she applies the icepack Burt somehow managed to get to her ankle and hisses slightly as it makes contact.

“Which one’s yours?”

She points Finn out. “That’s him.”

He smiles. “He’s going to be a fine addition.”

Nodding, she returns the smile.

 It’s been a hell of a day, she reflects while watching her son take the bat. But I’m here, relatively unharmed, and I’m going to get to see my baby make the baseball team. Everything else can wait until tomorrow.

He misses the first time, but the second time, the ball flies clear across the field, and she cheers and realises Burt is, too. Kurt is silently clapping and looking vaguely put out by all the noise.

Finn turns towards the stands, and Burt automatically stands and helps her to her feet.

She waves. “Good job, sweetie!”

Nodding, Finn smiles brightly and bounces up and down.

Once he’s gone to the bench, Burt helps her sit back down, and she reapplies the ice-pack.

“The one thing I’m good at is throwing baseballs,” she softly tells Burt. “I’ve tried to help him with soccer, football, basketball, and hockey. And-” She shakes her head.

Burt reaches over and squeezes her hand. “I’ve known you for less than an hour, and I can already tell that you’re a great mom,” he says. Glancing at his own son, he says, “As much as I love him, I wish to God I’d been taken instead. If a kid has to, they can get by alright without a father. Without a mother, though-”

“Well, I’ve known you for less than an hour, and I can already tell you’re a great dad,” she firmly replies.

She understands the sentiment, certainly, but she still doesn’t want to hear Burt saying such things.

She doesn’t know of many men who would do half the things he’s done this afternoon.           

They watch the rest of the try-outs in understanding silence.

0

“Did you see me, Mom?”

Closing her eyes, determined to get as much out of it as she can, Carole wraps her arms tightly around him. “Of course, honey,” she says. Kissing his cheek, she adds, “I’m so proud of you.”

Once the hug is broken, she sighs and says, “Finn, this is Burt Hummel, and his son, Kurt.”

The two boys briefly size one another up, and then, Finn turns his attention to Burt, and Kurt goes back to playing with his comb. “Did you see me, Mr Hummel?”

“I sure did, kid,” Burt says. “And you can call me Burt.”

“Are you a friend of Mom’s?”

“Yes,” Burt answers. “Your mama had car trouble, and I gave her ride. Tomorrow, I’m going to fix it for her.”

“Cool,” Finn announces. “Do you play baseball?”

“I’ve played some in the past,” Burt answers. “I usually played catcher, though.”

Hating to interrupt, Carole nevertheless asks, “Honey, where’s Puck?”

“He’s sick with the chicken pox,” Finn answer. “I thought I told you that.”

Dammit, she thinks. Resisting the urge to crush her cup and stomp on it, she takes a breath and wonders if she can send Finn to one of his classmate’s house for the night.

She can call a cab, have it drive her to the bank, get money from the bank’s ATM, and have it take her home. In the morning, she’ll be able to call Janet for a ride to work.

How will she get home, though? No else’s shift ends until nine. Usually, Finn stays at Puck’s until her shift ends, but with him sick, Finn will either have to ride the bus or be picked up. The bus would be fine, but she can’t have her eight-year-old dropped off at home when she’s not there. She especially can’t let him stay there alone for five hours.

There’s always the bus, she decides. If she has to leave at lunch to walk to the bus station, she can.

If she calls a cab and takes off so early, will she have enough money to pay for her car to be fixed and still buy groceries? She’s always told Finn groceries come before anything else, and she’s always meant it. As long as she lives, she’s never going to see her son hungry.

Before she can start making plans, Finn interrupts her thoughts with, “Didn’t you wear a dress to school when we had Shelly’s birthday party?”

Kurt looks up with clear annoyance on his face, and Carole starts to say, “Finn-“

“It was a matching blouse and a kilt,” Kurt says. “And if her mom had let her have a Stars Wars birthday, I could have worn my…”

Shooting Burt a look, Carole feels herself relax when he just shakes his head. He looks as confused as Finn but as if he’s used to and has accepted such rants.

“But Shelly’s a girl,” Finn points out.

At this point, Carole is a little worried Kurt might kill her son with any one of the things he currently has at hand.

“That doesn’t mean she can’t love Stars Wars, which she does, and her mother should have let her have that instead of the…”

“Let me drive you and Finn home. It’s not a problem,” Burt says.

The two boys- well, it’s really more Kurt lecturing, and Finn interjecting confused comments, but Carole supposes it fits the technical definition of talking. Even though Finn is obviously somewhat exasperated, neither boy is in distress.

Carole almost declines the offer, but common sense and absolute fatigue kicks in. This is her faith in things getting a little better being rewarded, she realises, and it would be a good idea to take it. When she was young, stupid, and carefree, she could have all the pride she wanted and handle her messes all by herself, in whatever way she choose, but she has Finn, now. “I’d appreciate that,” she says.

All her life, Carole has hated for anyone to feel sorry for her. She’s aware Burt’s above-and-beyond kindness is him feeling sorry for her, and even worse, probably feeling sorry for her son, but she knew going in this was never going to be easy. Raising a baby wasn’t easy even when her husband was at home full-time, and raising a child with no other family, even family far away, is even harder, but Carole loves Finn too much to not be a good mother. If she needs to accept charity on occasion, she’ll do it.

“Mom,” Finn asks, “what are we having for dinner?”

“We’ll figure it out when we get home,” she quickly answers.

“You can’t cook with a hurt foot,” Kurt protests.

“Your foot’s hurt,” Finn asks in concerned confusion.

And this is how Burt ends up buying her son a hot dog, soda, and small cup of ice-cream.

0

On the way home, Finn falls asleep.

“Why don’t I help you get in, and then, I can carry him in?”

“I’ll stay in the car with Finn and lock the doors if I need to,” Kurt tells her.

“Finn’s a little heavy,” she warns.

“I can handle it,” Burt assures her.

He leads her into the house, and she points to the couch. “I’ll crash on it tonight,” she tells him. After she’s settled, he retrieves a bag of frozen peas from the freezer, a glass of water, and the aspirin from her bathroom cabinet.

“I’ll go get Finn,” he says with a small smile.

She’s noticed his smiles give her a nice, warm feeling.

A minute later, he comes in carrying Finn while Kurt holds onto his left pants leg. Pointing, she says, “His bedroom’s down there.”

Kurt lets go of the pants and goes to open the door for his father.

When Burt returns, she points Kurt in the direction of the bathroom, and Burt sits down on one of the chairs. “Look, I’ve never been stuck in the middle of nowhere with a car I couldn’t fix and no way to call anyone,” he says, “but I’ve had my share of days when nothing goes right and I knew that I still had to make do for my boy’s sake.”

Briefly closing her eyes, Carole says, “It seems every day, I’m begging someone for help. Whenever someone offers without me having to beg, I don’t know how to react anymore.”

“I can drop Finn off at school with Kurt and drive you to work,” he offers. “Your car should be ready by tomorrow afternoon at the latest, and I don’t mind bringing it to wherever you work.”

0

“Here, honey,” Carole says. She sets down the breakfast bowl of eggs and bacon and the paper towel holding the toast.

If Finn had his way, he’d have cereal every morning, but Carole isn’t sure cereal is enough for him to get all his proper breakfast nutrients; she’d read somewhere children should get three hot meals a day until they finish puberty. He has it on the weekends and on special occasions.

“Burt will be here soon,” she adds.

 Looking over, Finn gives her a thoughtful look. “Is Burt your boyfriend, Mommy?”

“No,” she answers with a sigh. “I told you, kiddo, Mama’s done with boyfriends for a while.”

None of the men she’s dated have been bad people, but some of them have been jerks. Some of them turned out unable to handle Finn. Carole’s gotten to the point where the universe’s message of a love life, let alone simple, genuine friendships with others, just isn’t on the menu at the moment is coming through loud and clear.

“But do you want him to be your boyfriend?”

The answer is: If she’d met Burt under different circumstances and he’d asked her out, she’d probably have said yes. He’s not bad-looking, and she has a feeling they might have more in common than just their attempts to be the best parents they can be under less-than-ideal circumstances.

“Honey, Burt’s wife died, just like your daddy did,” Carole explains. “Sometimes, when a wife or husband dies, it can take a long time before a person’s ready to be a girlfriend or boyfriend.”

“Is that why Kurt cries sometimes during recess when no one’s playing with him?”

“I don’t know,” Carole answers with a feeling a sharp pain at the thought of Kurt crying all by himself. She doubts Burt knows, and whether others would agree it’s her place or not, she knows she’ll need to tell him. “Do you do anything when you see him cry?”

“No,” Finn admits with an uneasy look. “Whenever other kids try to touch him, he makes a cat noise at them, and his eyes get scary. I don’t think he wants anyone to do anything.”

“A cat noise?”

“Like the black cat in cartoons does when someone makes it mad,” Finn explains.

Hissing, her mind supplies.

Finn finishes his breakfast, and soon, there’s a knock on the door. Finn rushes to answer it.

Burt’s in a mechanic’s uniform, and Kurt- he’s wearing a bizarre suit with the oddest bowtie Carole has ever seen. Still, she pats his back and says with a smile, “That’s a very creative outfit, kiddo.”

Kurt glances at her comfortable, non-dangerous outfit, slightly shakes his head, and politely says, “Thank you, Carole.”

She can’t help but laugh to herself. Forget the snobby women she waits on; her clothes aren’t even good enough for a little seven-year-old boy who still occasionally needs help tying his own shoes. This has to be a new record.

Burt helps her out to the car, and Kurt demands Finn take the front seat.

It soon becomes clear he’s bound and determined to, at least, make her hair acceptable.

“There,” Kurt declares.

They reach school.

Carole looks in the mirror. Her hair is a braided bun, and it’s as comfortable as the loose bun he put it in last night. She’s surprised at how nice it makes her look. “Thank you, sweetie.” She kisses his forehead.

As Burt tells Kurt goodbye, she kisses Finn and ignores the way he hastily wipes his cheek. “I love you, baby.”

“I love you, too, Mom,” Finn says. Then, he looks around to make sure no has heard his shameful secret.

The boys wander off, and when they get back in the car, she gives Burt directions.

“I was talking to Finn,” she tells him, “and he told him that Kurt sometimes cries at recess.”

“Are people bullying him,” Burt asks with his fist clenching against the steering wheel.

“I don’t know about that,” she answers.

The response relieves her. Most of the parents seem to brush bullying aside, but she’s always tried to make sure Finn understood it was wrong. Hopefully, when her son is older, he’ll keep those lessons close. She imagines, like her, Burt would be up at the school in a heartbeat and raising hell if his son was put through such things.

“I think it might be about his mother.” Seeing his expression in the mirror, she reaches up and squeezes his shoulder. “I know,” she reminds him.

“Has it gotten easier?”

For a long moment, Carole considers the question. “There are times when it is,” she answers. “Times when I’m truly happy. But there are times when it just suddenly sneaks up, worst than ever. I don’t know if the sneaking up will ever completely stop.”

It’s quiet the rest of the way to the diner.

When he gets there, she hands him her keys. “Thank you for doing all this.”

“No problem,” he says.

0

By lunchtime, Carole is ready to scream.

Her ankle is threatening to completely give out, her braided bun has come undone, and it’s eighty-five degrees inside and a hundred something outside. One jackass customer left her a tract instead of a tip, and one customer only left fifty cents. A whole group of fancy-pants churchwomen came in, and naturally, they didn’t have any confidence in a waitress and demanded one of the waiters.

Carole is unashamed of her belief in God, and she knows better than most how life-saving faith can truly be. Most days, however, she finds herself severely disliking anyone loudly religious. They seem to be ones who behave the worst while making it clear they believe they behave the best.

When she sees Burt come in, she sighs.

“Hi,” she says with a smile. “Sit down. I’ll bring you something to drink. Don’t argue. I need a break, and I don’t think my boss will make a big deal out of me talking to my mechanic,” she orders.

If he has any big plans, well, he can leave while she’s getting the drink, she reasons.

“I’ll have coffee, black,” he says. 

She brings the coffee out and groans in relief when she sits.

“You should really get that checked-out,” he says with a frown.

“I’ve had a sprained ankle before,” she says. “It’ll heal on its own.” Though, she really wishes she had thought to bring her aspirin with her.

Shaking his head, he pushes her purse and keys over. He points her car, and she’s thankful it’s parked close to the door.

“Thank you,” Carole says. “How much do I owe you?”

“This is good,” Burt says and raises his cup.

“Burt, I won’t deny that money’s tight, but I do have enough to pay you,” she insists.

“I changed a tire,” he points out. “If you’d had a spare last night, I’d have changed it for you then with no charge. And I promise you it wasn’t a big deal for Sammy to tow your car. He’d do that for free if he didn’t have to earn a living.”

“Okay,” she says. “You can have the coffee, and we’ll call it even.”

0

Later, when she has to leave to get Finn, she feels her blood pressure rise.

Her gas tank is filled up, and when she checks the back, she discovers a fresh new spare. If anything else was done to her car, she can’t tell, but Carole wouldn’t be surprised if Burt did a full inspection, fixed whatever needed to be fixed, and counted on her not knowing anything was done.

0

Turning on the TV in the waiting room and handing him the remote, she tells Finn, “Wait here. Don’t get the volume too loud.”

When she’s told she can go in, wishing she could march, Carole limps over and declares, “Changed a tire, my ass.”

Kurt appears from underneath a car in a pair of coveralls with wide eyes. Before she can start to apologise, Burt calmly says, “Buddy, I need to talk to Carole. Why don’t you go get a snack, and we can finish this later?”

Once Kurt is gone, he gives her a look and sighs. “I’m usually fairly direct, but I’ve learned that sometimes you can’t win an argument you need to that way.”

“Burt-”

“I know you’d never let Finn do without,” he quietly continues. “But you’re doing without medical attention and who knows what else. That doesn’t sit right with me. And I did change your tire.”

“You know, when I ask if Finn did his homework and he says yes while neglecting to tell me that he got a zero because he forgot to turn it in, I don’t accept that. I doubt you accept such omissions from Kurt.”

“Why don’t we sit down,” he suggests with a look down at her ankle.

Sighing, she lets him lead her to a chair.

“Maybe we can work out a deal,” he says.

“I think the deal where you do work, and I pay is a reasonable one.”

Chuckling softly, he sits down. “I can always use more customers. Why don’t we call the coffee payment for this time, and the next time your car needs something, you come to me? I’ll charge you properly, then.”

This does actually strike Carole as somewhat reasonable. “Okay,” she agrees. “But I expect you to keep your word and give me an actual bill.”

“Will do,” he promises with a smile.

Taking a breath, she quickly disclaims, “I’m not asking you out. But would you like to get some coffee sometime or set up a playdate between the boys? I think we could both use a friend at the moment.”

He nods. “That’d be great.”

0

They start meeting during the weekends.

0

Carole isn’t sure how the argument started, but she is sure she’s right.

Carefully applying a layer of clear nail polish over Kurt’s bright blue nails, she insists, “Everest is a professional. Swift is nothing but a hotheaded rookie.”

Burt grabs Finn and sets him on his lap. “You’re going to corrupt your boy with that kind of talk. Swift has talent. Everest is a professional at butt-kissing.”

“I like the green ones,” Kurt declares.

“That’s football, buddy,” Burt says. Finn snuggles up against him with eyes glued to the TV.

“Not illegally wrecking people out-”

“It shouldn’t be illegal to wreck someone out! That’s part of racing. You drive fast, you soup your baby up as best you can, and you do whatever it takes to get across the finish line first. Swift understands that.”

“There have been deaths,” Carole points out. She starts helping Kurt blow on his nails. “When people raced like that, their improvements made the cars dangerous.”

“The answer is to have the cars inspected. If a person makes their car dangerous, they’re penalised-”

“Penalised,” Finn inquires.

“It means punished,” Burt explains. “But if the car’s safe to drive, they drive. You can keep the cars safe without making them equal.”

“Would the cars be prettier if the drivers could- um, soup them,” Kurt asks.

“Well,” Burt answers, “they’d probably be more colourful and distinctive. I’m not sure if you’d consider any of them pretty, though.”

Craning his neck upwards, Finn asks, “Are you coming to my game tomorrow?”

“Yeah,” Burt answers with a smile. “You’re going to do great, kiddo.”

Carole looks down at Kurt.

She’s gotten used to their presence, and she’s starting to think this might not entirely be a good thing. She’s been teaching Kurt how to sew, and Burt’s been teaching Finn how to roller-skate. The boys don’t have much in common, but Kurt follows Finn around like a puppy, and Finn seems to like the attention.

But there’s no guarantee things will stay the same, she knows.

0

Carole gasps. “Finn.” She drops to her knees. “Baby, what happened?”

Her son looks at point over her head while she examines his black eye. “Finn,” she insists, “what happened? Did you get in a fight? Did someone hurt you? No matter what happened, I’ll still love you, and I need to know.”

Finally, Finn looks at her with his brown eyes a mixture of fear and defiance. “Some boys messed up Kurt’s art thingy on purpose,” he says. “I had to do something, Mom,” he informs her. “Kurt worked so hard, and he was so happy. I couldn’t just let them do that.”

Sighing and feeling a well of pride and horror both forming in her chest, Carole gently kisses his cheek.

She gets up to call Burt, but it rings before she can. “Hello?”

“I don’t know what’s gotten into my son,” Burt says, “but he keeps insisting I call you and ask you to please not be mad at Finn. He won’t give me any details on why I should do this.”

She explains the situation, and later, Burt and Kurt appear with pizza in the former’s hands. Kurt hides behind his father’s legs when she kneels down to talk to him. Carole waits until he cautiously peeks his head around. Smiling, she promises, “You and Finn aren’t in any trouble, sweetheart. Come on out.”

After the four are settled on the couch, Burt says, “Kurt, I want you to promise me you’ll tell me whenever someone’s mean to you. It’s my job as your daddy to protect you, but I can’t do that if you don’t let me know what’s going on.”

Carole wonders if Burt saying it’s his job is really the best way of putting things. She understands what he means, but will Kurt understand his father loves him more than anything and wants to make sure he’s always safe? Or will he interpret it as his father’s required to protect him, whether he likes it or not?

“Okay, Dad,” Kurt agrees.

“And Finn- thank you,” Burt says with a grateful sigh. “I agree with your mom: You shouldn’t throw the first punch, and if someone bothers you, you try to find an adult before doing anything else. But thank you for what you did. Kurt means the same thing to me that you mean to your mama. If anything happened to him, I couldn’t take it.”

Finn nods in solemn understanding and gives Kurt a small grin.

Looking close to tears, Kurt abandons his plate, crawls into Burt’s lap, and doesn’t object when Burt ruffles his hair and kisses him.

Carole reaches over to squeeze her Finn’s shoulder. “In the future, I expect you to handle things differently,” she says. “But I’m very proud of you, honey.”

“Thanks, Mom,” he says with a grin. 

0

Over the phone, she says, “I hate to ask, but would it be too much trouble for you to pick Finn up from his cub meeting and drop him off here? Ms Puckerman can’t drive after her surgery, and half of the wait-staff is out with the flu. If I leave now, there’s a good possibility I’ll be fired.”

She once picked Kurt up, and she and Burt have been friends for over a month. Still, asking him for favours always makes her feel guilty. There’s a difference between asking the mother of a friend of Finn’s to pick her son up when she’s going to school anyway to asking someone to pick her son up from his meeting.

“Sure,” Burt answers. “Would it be better if I brought him to the shop? Kurt’s here.”

“Well,” Carole begins.

“That’s a yes,” Burt says. “It’s not a problem, I promise.”

0

Unfortunately, there are several customers who stay after closing time, and it’s almost ten by the time she drives over to Burt’s house.

“I am so sorry,” she says.

He wraps his arm around her and leads her inside. “Hey, if anyone understands stuff happening, it’s me.”

Carole sees Finn and Kurt sprawled out asleep on the couch in the darkened living room with the glow of the television providing the only light. “Kurt helped Finn with his homework, and I fed them both Spaghetti and candy for desert,” he tells her. “I’m thinking maybe I can feed your son, and you can feed mine.

Knowing Spaghetti is one of the few things Burt can make without burning and Kurt would be eating like Finn wants to if not for Kurt’s own mature nutritional demands, Carole laughs and shakes her head. “I think maybe I should just start cooking for the four of us,” she jokes.

Leading her to the kitchen, Burt sits her down and pours her a cup of iced tea. “You eaten?”

“No,” she answers. “I think I’m too tired.”

“I think you should stay the night,” he says.

Thankfully, she doesn’t choke.

Carole sees his logic.

Her son is asleep, and she shouldn’t be driving with how tired she is. Perhaps, the worst thing is she didn’t even automatically assign sex to the meaning, though, she’s admitted to herself she certainty wouldn’t object if it somehow became another competent of their relationship. She did automatically jump to a more intimate meaning, however.

I really need to get it out of my head that there never will be, she sternly tells herself. 

“Kurt has a couch in his basement, and you can get up early to go home change,” he says. “Finn can stay while you get ready and get some clothes for him, and then, we can all have leftover Spaghetti when you get back. Do we need to try to find something for you to sleep in?”    

“No,” she answers. “This is fine. But we’re not having Spaghetti. If I stay, I’m making eggs and bacon in the morning.”

“Fair enough,” he says. Getting up, he withdraws a bowl from the refrigerator. “But you need to eat something before you go to bed.”

 She eats a bowl of Spaghetti and goes to kiss Finn. He blearily opens his eyes. “Time go, Mama?”

“No,” she whispers. “We’re staying. Go to sleep, baby. I love you.”

“Love you,” he mutters before quickly falling back asleep.

Walking over, she leans down and kisses Kurt, too. He mumbles something but doesn’t wake.

“Here.” Burt hands her an alarm clock. “Do you need anything else?”

“No,” she says. Reaching over to kiss his cheek, she tells him, “Thank you. For everything.”

0

It’s her birthday, and her plans to simply ignore the day have been thoroughly overridden.

Burt suggested she let him and Kurt take her and Finn out for a birthday, and when she’d tried to protest, Kurt had pulled out his puppy dog eyes and looked close to crying, and Finn had given her a hurt, pleading look. Burt had simply stared at her while she pleaded for help with her eyes.

“Fine,” she’d agreed with a laugh.

Oh, yes, she can spot emotional manipulation a mile away, but unfortunately, this doesn’t always keep her from succumbing to it.

Kurt wants everyone to dress up.

This naturally means he will tell his father what to wear and have full control over Carole’s clothes, makeup, and hairstyle. Surprisingly, Kurt’s only instruction for Finn is to wear a pair of clean jeans with no holes and a solid coloured t-shirt.

“Just further proof that you and I can go hang as long as he gets to keep Finn,” Burt privately jokes with a grin.

Kurt chooses an almost too small dark navy blouse, the black skirt with a gold belt she reserves for special occasions, and pulls her hair back in matching gold hair clips. He picks out a pair of comfortable black pumps and carefully applies her makeup. “There,” he proudly declares once she’s all dressed.

He leads her out, and Carole feels her breath catch when she sees Burt dressed in a navy suit with a black tie and gold Boutonnière. He’s painfully handsome, she thinks as he smiles warmly at her. “You look beautiful,” he says with a kiss on her cheek.

Smiling, she looks at the boys. Finn has on black jeans and a purple t-shirt, and Kurt is wearing another bizarre suit with a big bowtie.

Finn tugs her hand. “You look really pretty, Mom.”

0

At the restaurant, she threatens to punish the three of them horribly if they go through with their threat of loudly singing Happy Birthday. They all overeat, and when the waitress brings out a cupcake with a candle, she looks at the three of them and wishes, _Please, don’t let me get my heart broken, again_ , as she blows the candle out.

Back at Burt’s, she looks down at presents she told them not to get her. “You will be sorry in three months,” she warns Burt.

He shrugs. “I can handle whatever you throw at me.”

Shaking her head, Carole opens the presents. Finn got her a bottle of perfume and made her card. Kurt got her new cooking book and bought her a card. Burt gives her a gift card, and Kurt protests, “Why can’t I give the kids in my class gift cards if you can give one to Carole?”

“No arguing on my birthday,” she automatically says. Kurt complies but shoots his father a dark look. “Thank you so much, you three.” Carole hugs each of them. “What would I do without you boys in my life?”

“Daddy’s a man, not a boy,” Kurt pipes up. Finn nods along.

“Sometimes,” Carole says. “Sometimes, he’s just like you two monkeys.”

“Hey,” Burt protests with a frown. He crosses his arms.

“Sorry, sweetheart.” She rests her head on his shoulder. “But it’s true. Don’t worry, though, I still love you, and I’ll still let you eat cereal and watch cartoons with Finn on the weekends.”

When she looks up, he’s looking at her thoughtfully.

“Something wrong,” she asks.

“Nah,” he answers. “I’m just glad you’re happy.”

“Are you staying tonight,” Kurt asks.

“Yeah, are we, Mom?”

They don’t, but they do stay for an hour and half with Kurt trying to teach them to dance. Finn almost breaks the TV, Burt gives up after thirty minutes, and Kurt decides he should find a way to get his teacher to accept him substituting Carole for his assigned partner in the school play.

0

Burt is working underneath a car.

“Your son now knows how to make a cake,” Carole says with a sigh. She sinks down in a chair and gently kicks Burt’s shoe. “Next week, we’re going to try a soufflé. Don’t panic if you notice a fire-truck heading towards my house. I set my fair share of stove fires the first year I learned how to cook.”

Rolling out, Burt nods. “I’ll keep that in mind. What in the hell is a soufflé?”

“I have no idea,” she confesses.

“So, you’re saying Finn and I should be terrified.”

“The two of you aren’t already?”

They laugh, and she asks, “How was Finn?”

“Good,” Burt answers. He sits up. “I don’t think he’s ever going to be able to master the art, but I figure if I’m not around, he can always fall back on my boy.”

“Is he okay?”

He gives her a look. “Of course. There’s nothing wrong with not being able to fix a car, and I told him that. If everyone could fix their own, I’d probably have to find a different career, and I’m not sure there’s anything else I’m good enough at to turn into a decent living.”

“Thank you,” Carole says. “Speaking of which, one of my tires is running low, and I think I need an oil change. When’s a good time to bring it in?”

Burt sighs, and she wonders at the sudden shift in the air. “Carole, just let me take care of it. You can have us over for dinner or something.”

She echoes his sigh. “Burt.”

“I like doing things for you and Finn,” he says.

“No one’s stopping you,” she responds. “But it’s not right for you to fix my car, which is a piece of junk and needs more work each time, and not be paid.”

“I don’t need the money.”

“That’s not the point.”

“The point is, I like taking care of you and Finn,” he says in frustration.

Puzzled, she asks, “Burt, why are you making a big deal out of this? You know I got a raise last month. Yes, money’s still tight. Money will probably always be tight. But I have enough to actually pay you without it causing-”

“Burt!” Finn bursts into the room. “Kurt hit his nose, and it’s bleeding!”

Forgetting the argument, Carole jumps up with Burt, and they rush out.

0

The boys are exhausted from a morning of playing outside and are both asleep on their sleeping bags in Finn’s room when Burt comes back from his business trip.

“Hey,” she greets, and then, finds herself concerned at the look on his face. “I’ll make some lemonade, and we can talk.”

“Okay.”

He goes down to Finn’s room.

When he comes back, she hands him a glass and they sit at the table. “What is it?”

On the anniversary of his wife’s death, Carole got an apologetic and utterly broken call from Burt at two in the morning. She had talked to him until Kurt woke up, and then, she took the day off and went over to spend the day with him. It hasn’t been as bad since then, but every now and then, she’ll see the pain sneak up on him, and she’ll try her best to just be there for him.

“Carole,” he starts, and his hesitancy only deepens her concern. For a moment, he just stops. “Before, I met you that day on the road, Kurt was my only reason for living, but now-”

He looks at her, and she reaches over to squeeze his hand. “Now, I’m terrified. I love you and Finn, Carole, and I don’t want to do anything to jeopardise that.”

“You should know that there isn’t anything you could,” she replies. “Finn and I love you and Kurt just as much.” Leaning back, she says, “That day on the road, I think God sent you and Kurt to show that he was still watching over me and Finn.”

“Do you really believe a person can fall in love again after the person they thought was the love of their life is gone?”

A feeling of dread sweeps over her.

Burt’s found someone. Burt’s found someone, and he’s actually considering trying to move on.

Carole will admit her inner reaction is terrible. He’s been her best friend for almost a year, and she shouldn’t wish him to be able to stop feeling so much pain and loneliness, and then, get upset at him finding a way to do so just because she doesn’t like the particular way.

She isn’t going to do something stupid like throw a jug at his car or any of the other things she’s done in the past, some of which she fears might have been illegal and all of which she looks back with a large deal of shame and self-disgust.

For one thing, there’s Kurt to think about; she’ll do almost anything to make sure she’s a part of his life. There’s the genuine friendship she and Burt have managed to build; it’s not something she’s had in years, and the fact it came quickly and easily makes it still a little frail. And most importantly, there’s the fact Finn would do almost anything to see Kurt smile and worships the ground Burt walks on; as long as she can, she wants both of them in her son’s life.

“Yes,” Carole answers. “I do. And if you’ve found a woman you like, I think you should consider taking a chance. She may turn out to be an angel sent from heaven, or she may just be someone you have some fun with. Either way, I honestly believe that your wife doesn’t want you to spend the rest of your life mourning her.”

Almost too quietly to hear, Burt asks, “What if that woman’s you?”

She looks at him for a long moment. Finally, she leans over and softly kisses him. “Then, you should know I’ve been falling in love with you for a long time, now.”

0

They move to the couch, and Burt says, “We should probably talk about the boys before we go further.”

“Probably a good idea.” She rests her head against his shoulder.

“Look, Kurt- I know it’s too soon to tell, but I think he might be queer. And aside from the fact that I’m going to have to restrain myself from chasing any boy he brings home with a tire iron, I’m okay with that.”

“You never know,” Carole says. “He might bring home a nice, polite boy who loves singing and dancing.”

“As much as I’d like to believe that, I’m pretty sure that if he does go for boys, he’ll bring home some stupid jock who does a lot of the things I did when I was a teenager.”

Kissing his neck, Carole says, “Whoever he brings home, I’ll try to be supportive. If it turns out to be someone we both have a problem with, we can revisit the tire iron idea.”

“What if it’s just me with the problem?”

“Then, we’ll see what Finn thinks.”

“Do you think he’d be okay if-”

“Burt,” she interrupts, “Kurt is the little brother Finn never had, and Kurt worships Finn. They love each other.”

“Do you think they’ll be okay with this?”

“I think so,” she answers.

0

When the boys wake up and trample up, Kurt lights up when he sees Burt. “Daddy!”

Picking his son up, Burt kisses him. “Hey, baby boy. Were you alright while I was gone?”

“Uh-huh,” Kurt says. He motions for Finn to come get a hug from Burt. “We went swimming and made homemade ice-cream! Carole saved some for you. Down. I want to show you the swimsuit I’m making for Carole.”

Obediently, Burt sets Kurt down and kisses Finn on the head. “How’d you do having Kurt here,” he asks.

“It was cool,” Finn announces. “You and Mom look like you have something important to tell us.”

After Kurt comes back, they sit the boys on the couch.

“You tell them,” Carole says as she feels herself grin.

“That’s not what we agreed,” Burt protests.

“Just tell them.”

“Well, boys,” Burt starts.

“How would you two feel if Burt and I were more than friends,” she blurts out.

Kurt looks at them blankly. “But you are more than friends,” he points out. “You’re family.”

Finn nudges him. “They mean kissing and sleeping in bed together, like mommies and daddies do,” he whispers.

It takes a minute for that to sink in, but then, Kurt breaks out into a big smile. “If you get married, I get to dress Carole! Since I’ve married my power rangers so many times, can I give the wedding planner suggestions?” Then, in horror, he asks, “Does this mean I have to share my room?”

Giving them a sympathetic look, Finn patiently answers, “No. I can sleep on a couch. Are you and Burt getting married, Mom?”

Reaching over, she sweeps her fingers across his bangs. “Sweetie, Burt just became my boyfriend about twenty minutes ago. It’s a little early to be talking about marriage or moving in together.”

“But if we do, you and Finn will each have your own room,” Burt promises. “We’ll either have a new one built, or we’ll all move into a different house with more rooms together.”

“I’m happy,” Finn says. Reaching over, he kisses her. “You make each other happy, and us all being together makes me and Kurt happy.”

Kurt nods and reaches over to pat Burt. “This makes us more of a family.”

0

After Burt and Kurt are gone, Finn says, “Mom, I think you need to tell Burt to talk to Kurt.”

Helping him get another helping of mashed potatoes, she asks, “What about, honey?”

Finn looks thoughtful. “Kurt’s really cool, and I know he likes me. But I think he thinks Burt loves me better, because I’m easier to do things with. Except, I know that, no matter how much Burt loves me and you, Kurt’s always going to be who he loves the most, just like no matter how much I love Burt, I’m always going to love you and Daddy the most, and I think Kurt should know that.”

She looks at her son and feels a swirl of emotions. “Oh, baby, when did you get so smart and kind?”

He grins. “I learned most of it from you.”

0

“How’d it go?”

Burt looks up and motions for her to sit next to him. “What am I going to do? I never even realised he felt this way.”

“I didn’t, either.”

Sighing, he says, “I’ll be the first to admit Kurt wasn’t the son I was expecting. But no matter what, I love him.”

“He knows. We just need to keep reminding our boys that, while we might have more in common with the other one, they always come first.”

Burt turns. “Hey,” he says. “I love you.”

“I know,” Carole tells him. “I love you, too.”

He leans over, and she happily returns his kiss. 


End file.
